What cooking method yields tender chicken breasts?

[KellySeven]

Cook it in a ziplock bag. Season with salt and pepper and put it into a ziplock bag and cook in water that is a constant 80C - you need to check and adjust the temperature with ice if it goes above 80C - for 10-15 minutes. Rest the chicken in the bag for 10 minutes before serving (out of the water) I think this is called sous vide.

I tried it once and the chicken was unbelievable - even though the bag broke towards the end.

[keltin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KellySeven Cook it in a ziplock bag. Season with salt and pepper and put it into a ziplock bag and cook in water that is a constant 80C - you need to check and adjust the temperature with ice if it goes above 80C - for 10-15 minutes. Rest the chicken in the bag for 10 minutes before serving (out of the water) I think this is called sous vide. I tried it once and the chicken was unbelievable - even though the bag broke towards the end.

Now that is extremely interesting! You’re right, it is called Sous-vide.....I just Googled it.

I’m trying that tonight. Thanks for the idea!

[VeraBlue]

Have you tried quickly sauteing them, and then finishing the cooking in simmering liquid? Marsala or picatta comes to mind...and it works every time.

[KellySeven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by keltin I’m trying that tonight. Thanks for the idea!

How did you go with it? I've got some really tough steaks (sirloin, but I just know they'd make good shoes) and I'm thinking I may as well try this method - maybe with some... dunno - I've got a thing for dukkah at the moment. How bad could it be?

[GB]

Sous-vide cooking in a home kitchen is not a good idea. It takes professional equipment to get it right. What was described above is not Sous-vide cooking as it must be done in a vacuum. It also takes a vary long time, some things cooking for 48 hours or longer. I am not sure of the conversion from C to F, but your water should be the temp you want the meat cooked to in the end. If you want 165 degree meat then that is the temp of the water as well.

The way to get tender chicken, as others have said, is do not overcook it. Use a probe thermometer to take all the guess works out of it.

Brining will help as well and give you some wiggle room if you do happen to overcook it a bit. Plus brining adds flavor so that is a good thing.

[KellySeven]

Here is an article on sous vide in the home kitchen, I used basic equipment and had no trouble whatsoever (except for the bag issue, which is addressed in the article)

I'm happy to see steak works well and I really like the browning quickly on the barbecue idea.

[GB]

That method is not sous vide. I can take a steak and put it on a pan and leave it under the sun and call that pan broiled if I want, but that does not mean that is what it really is.

[Jeekinz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VeraBlue Have you tried quickly sauteing them, and then finishing the cooking in simmering liquid? Marsala or picatta comes to mind...and it works every time.

That's what I meant.

So what's the 'French' term for that?

[keltin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GB That method is not sous vide. I can take a steak and put it on a pan and leave it under the sun and call that pan broiled if I want, but that does not mean that is what it really is.

You’re right GB, using a zip-loc bag isn’t technically sous vide, but the basic idea is there. You set the water temp to the desired meat temp. And while the French methods use tightly controlled machines, and will often cook some dishes for 30 hours or more, you can approximate this technique in the kitchen. It would be even better with a Food Saver so you could vacuum pack the meat with your seasonings.

I haven’t done it yet, but I’ve bought a chicken and cut it up and saved the breast to give it a shot. I hope to try it out later this week. It sounds fun even if it isn’t the true an technical methodology of sous vide.

I'm not sure what other name to give this technique.....it's not poaching, so I don't know what to call it.

[keltin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeekinz That's what I meant. So what's the 'French' term for that?

Kind of like poaching I suppose?